Because the Alaska cruise season formally ends, the Port of Vancouver has loved a record-breaking season, a welcome change from the dismal previous two years with pandemic-related restrictions exacting a heavy toll on tourism and the native financial system.
Greater than 300 cruises visited Vancouver in 2022, a rise past the 2019 season, bringing a lift to native companies and signaling the resurgence of the cruise business and elevated demand from keen vacationers.
Alaska Cruise Season Formally Ends
With the departure of Crown Princess, the final ship of the season to homeport from Vancouver, on Wednesday, November 2, the 2022 Alaska cruise season has formally ended, closing out a superb resurgence to native tourism visitors.
Vancouver’s cruise season started on April 10, with the arrival of Holland America Line’s Koningsdam. All through the practically 7-month season, Vancouver noticed a complete of 306 cruise ship visits, a 6% enhance in comparison with 2019.
“It’s been incredible to see cruise ships and passengers again on the town after the two-year pause via the peak of the pandemic,” mentioned Robin Silvester, president and CEO of the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority.
“This 12 months’s cruise season was a powerful comeback story for a crucial catalyst for the native tourism business and it supplied a much-needed increase for a lot of regional tourism and hospitality companies.”
Passenger Numbers Decrease, However Rising
Whereas the variety of cruise ship visits to Vancouver confirmed outstanding enhance this 12 months, general customer totals are nonetheless under 2019 ranges.
This is because of ships working at decrease capability as a consequence of well being and security protocols, certainly one of which has meant carrying fewer passengers. All through the season, nevertheless, capacities have been elevated and passenger totals continued to get better.
For the complete season, passenger numbers averaged roughly 70% of full capability. Vancouver loved roughly 815,000 passenger visits in 2022, in comparison with roughly 1.1 million in 2019.
All through the season, restrictions slowly eased and tourism elevated accordingly.
“The return of cruise ships to Canada Place kicked off the rebuilding of Vancouver’s customer financial system,” mentioned Royce Chwin, president and CEO of Vacation spot Vancouver. “When these ships have been again within the harbour and guests have been streaming into town as soon as once more, we knew the nook had been turned.”
All pandemic-related journey restrictions in Canada have been ended October 1, 2022, simply because the cruise season was drawing to an in depth. This meant the easing of these restrictions didn’t have as dramatic of an affect on late-season sailings, however the varied protocols did allow a secure return season for cruise tourism.
“I’d prefer to thank our cruise traces companions, the Canada Place providers supplier Ceres Terminals Canada, the Cruise Traces Worldwide Affiliation and all these working all through the cruise and tourism business for his or her exhausting work and dedication supporting this 12 months’s return, below the federal authorities’s well being framework,” mentioned Silvester.
2023 Seems to be Even Higher
Whereas 2022 might be thought to be a restoration 12 months after the worldwide pandemic, the 2023 cruise season seems even higher for Vancouver.
“Wanting forward, we’re seeing early indications of a record-setting season in 2023, which is a testomony to the enduring energy of Vancouver’s cruise business and this 12 months’s profitable return,” mentioned Silvester.
Primarily based on preliminary bookings, the Canada Place cruise terminal on the Port of Vancouver is slated to welcome 334 cruise ship visits, with as many as 1.3 million cruise passengers onboard.
Cruise traces providing sailings from Vancouver in 2023 will embrace Princess Cruises, Holland America Line, Royal Caribbean Worldwide, Norwegian Cruise Line, Superstar Cruises, and extra, with many different traces additionally making day visits to the port.
